Is there such a thing as easy sleight of hand? So many people shudder at the thought of trying to deceive an audience with just their bare hands and everyday objects. The pleasant answer is yes, there is sleight of hand that you can learn in a matter of minutes, and, if taught well, will enable you to perform magic in almost any situation. So hang in there, put a bit of belief in yourself and get ready to wow your friends.

The routine I will show you in the video below is based on a principle of magic called 2 in the hand, 1 in the pocket.I don’t know where it originated – they were probably doing this around the fire while sitting in the cave – but there was a small book produced in the late seventies called “Two in the Hand and one in the Pocket” by Lewis Ganson. It has a whole bunch of good information and ideas if you want to chase it up. The premise is simple: you have three objects, you put two in one hand and one in your pocket but upon opening your hand there are three again. There are so many variations to this because you can use almost any small object that you have at hand. Lollies (candy), pen caps, carrot chunks, nuts, paper balls. This also makes it an excellent impromptu trick. Once you know the principle you start seeing small objects in a new light.